U.S. Air Bases Focus On Safety In Stand-Down Rash Of Accidents Forced First-Ever Move

Air Force bases around the nation suspended combat training flights for 24 hours on Monday in the aftermath of a series of military jet crashes.

But Washington state’s two Air Force bases - Fairchild and McChord - did not pause their flights and won’t do so until Friday.

The entire Air Force originally was to stand down this Friday. But the fatal crash of a B-1 bomber four days ago in Montana prompted the Air Combat Command to move the flight suspension to Monday.

But Fairchild and McChord are not part of the Air Combat Command, which is headquartered at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

The Washington bases answer to the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Fairchild is home to a tanker wing; McChord, an airlift wing.

Fairchild’s senior officers still are formulating what types of safety training will take place Friday, said Lt. Amy Hulten, a Fairchild public affairs officer.

The base has an average of 10 to 14 training flights per day.

At McChord, south of Tacoma, flight crews will attend all-day safety classes, said 2nd Lt. Lars Anderson.

In addition to Fairchild, the Spokane area is home to the 141st Air Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard. The 141st has 10 KC-135 refueling tankers, but none was scheduled to fly Friday, said Lt. Col. Mike McCaffree, public affairs officer for the Guard at Camp Murray near Olympia.

The next day the 141st is scheduled to fly is Oct. 4. On that day, the wing will stand down and review flight, maintenance and safety procedures, McCaffree said.

Army National Guard helicopter crews training out of Spokane International Airport will take Thursday to review safety procedures, McCaffree said.

Mountain Home Air Force Base in southern Idaho was one of the facilities that observed the no-flight rule on Monday.

Personnel spent the day in small groups discussing safety and making recommendations that will be forwarded to their squadron commanders, said Staff Sgt. Bob Purtiman.

“We shut down all operations today - flying and support operations,” Purtiman said.

Mountain Home answers to the Air Combat Command and is home to B-1 bombers, KC-135 tankers and F-15C, F-15E and F-16C fighters.

Defense Secretary William Cohen ordered the servicewide break for “a period of reflection” on safety. All branches must comply with the order by the end of the week.

It is the first-ever suspension of all military pilot training. Cohen gave the order after a series of crashes that have left servicemen dead and destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment.

The first of the crashes occurred Sept. 13 when an Air Force C-141 transport wrecked off the coast of Africa. The next day, an F-117A Stealth fighter broke up in flight at an air show in Maryland. The day after that a Navy F-18 went down in Oman and a Marine Corps F-18 crashed off North Carolina. Also, two planes from the New Jersey Air National Guard collided off the New Jersey coast Sept. 16 and a B-1 crashed in Montana on Friday.

Cohen’s order does not affect operational flights such as those over Iraq and in support of Bosnia peacekeeping.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IN WASHINGTON Fairchild and McChord bases will stand down on Friday.